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Colorado-based technical death metal band Allegaeon seems to operate solely on two levels of quality: very good and insanely good. Their latest album, The Ossuary Lens, lands squarely in the latter category, and we’re gonna go over why. The Ossuary Lens marks Allegaeon‘s seventh full-length effort, and notably sees the return of original vocalist Ezra Haynes, whose last appearance with Allegaeon was on their 2014 record, Elements of the Infinite.

And no disrespect to former frontman Riley McShane, who brought his own particular fire to the band’s last three records, but there’s something about Haynes‘ presence that just fits really well with what Allegaeon does musically. Allegaeon sounds more rooted, more visceral—like a machine running with its original core reinstalled on this record.

And before we get too deep into the music, let’s answer the question you’re probably already asking yourself, which is: what the hell is an Ossuary Lens? The Ossuary Lens, while not a concept album in the traditional sense, is a representation of several different viewpoints of death. According to Haynes, each song is a different topic; however, there’s always a different perspective of death tied in. Since the entire album revolves around this overarching theme of death and the different viewpoints associated with it, we found ourselves very attached to the word “ossuary.” And since the album takes a look at death through different points of view, we found The Ossuary Lens to be very fitting for the album title.

Outside the vocalist change, there are two major distinctions between The Ossuary Lens and Allegaeon‘s 2022 record, DAMNUM. The first is the sheer urgency with which The Ossuary Lens operates. The album starts about two inches from your face and stays there the entire time. It feels immediate, it feels energized, it feels unrelenting. Whereas DAMNUM was more contemplative and dynamic and sprawling in its pacing and its composition.

The second is how stripped down this record feels in comparison. The Ossuary Lens pares things back to Allegaeon‘s core elements with little in the way of extraneous instrumentation. And that totally works in its favor. Rather than stacking on extra layers, the band has carefully composed each instrumental role to fill out the sonic space with precision and finesse. The result is a tightly constructed, no-fat listen that leaves no doubt about the picture Allegaeon is trying to paint with this record.

The intro track “Refraction” opens up with delicate strings and classical acoustic guitar—a quiet, ominous beginning that signals something darker is on the horizon. I love this intro because it’s not just an intro like so many metal albums have, where the instrumentation or vibe is never revisited or, you know, kind of presented again throughout the rest of the record. Allegaeon is doing some world-building with this song and they’re not including extraneous elements. They’re introducing you to different sounds that they’re going to start using throughout the record.

“Chaos Theory” picks up exactly where the intro left off. It opens with triumphant sweep picking on the guitars and double bass before crashing into a half-time stomp only to launch right back into that frantic death metal chaos. There’s no major left turns here in terms of composition—just tight, ripping songwriting that wastes zero time and sets the stage for more aggressive material to be found throughout the rest of the record.

One especially cool moment in “Chaos Theory” comes during a quieter section near the end just before the final chorus. A guitar solo takes center stage, but the real magic is in the rhythm section. Instead of simply holding the line or staying out of the way, they weave this rich, melodic counterpoint that feels like an integral part of the moment, not just a backdrop for an especially good guitar solo. But I think you could call every guitar solo on any Allegaeon record an especially good guitar solo. And keep in mind that isn’t even a spotlight section of the song. It’s just this little subtle detail, but it speaks volumes about how tightly composed and musically dialed in Allegaeon is. Every little moment matters on this record, and every instrument is doing something worth listening to and worth paying attention to.

That’s the kind of depth that most death metal bands aim for but don’t really achieve.

Then there’s “Driftwood,” which brings a bit of a surprising twist. It opens with a Rhodes-like keyboard tone and sharp, stop-on-a-dime riffing, but it’s the clean-sung chorus that’s the real standout on this song. It’s truly an enormous hook that’ll get stuck in your head, but what makes it brilliant is how it’s flanked by full-force death metal precision. It’s a high-wire act between melody and obliteration, and Allegaeon walks it better than most bands do and probably ever will. “Driftwood” is also a prime example of Allegaeon flexing their rhythmic muscles, something they do exceptionally well throughout the course of the entire record. Within the first minute, you’re pulled through multiple rhythmic shifts, accents, and feel changes, but it never feels jarring or disjointed.

That’s the magic of Allegaeon‘s writing. No matter how intricate or technical the structure gets, it always feels very intentional and fluid. They don’t just play with rhythm on this album—they totally wield it as a weapon. Also, the end of this song is vicious.

Then there’s “Dies Irae,” which turns everything up to 11. After a grandiose intro complete with strings, the band erupts into blistering, blackened death metal. Groovy passages, virtuosic riffing—at times with just harmonics, which in and of itself is insanely impressive—and a brain-melting solo overtopped some hard-thrashing riffs make this one of the standout moments on the album. This was the song that fully sold me on The Ossuary Lens. It’s aggressive, it’s layered, it’s smart, it’s cohesive—it’s just a really, really good song.

Four tracks into this album and I am already blown away.

“The Swarm” is one of the heaviest songs on The Ossuary Lens, and I think one of the fastest. Or at least that blinding opening riff—and I guess most of the other riffs throughout this song—has led me to believe that it’s probably one of the fastest songs on this record. This track is a total crusher. It’s built on sheer velocity and precision, and just when you think it can’t get any more unrelenting and heavy, Allegaeon drops in a perfectly timed slam metal brie right under an especially chunky riff. It’s so good.

There’s also a great moment toward the end of “The Swarm” where everything suddenly drops out. The band cuts to silence and Haynes lets out a distant scream from way off mic. Then out of nowhere, a sharp gym-class-style whistle cues the band back in for a frantic, almost unhinged breakdown. It’s not exactly a moment of levity—or at least I don’t think it was meant to be that—but it’s definitely one that makes you kind of pause and smile and maybe laugh to yourself a little bit. It’s weird, it’s unexpected, and it’s totally effective. It’s one of those tiny details that shows just how confident Allegaeon is in their own chaotic songwriting.

“Carried by Delusion” opens up the album’s second half with grace and fury. Spacious, clean sections give way to soaring, almost uplifting riffs, right up until the band throws a sledgehammer breakdown about three and a half minutes in. This track is a masterclass in pacing and theme building—knowing exactly when to bring a motif back and when to amplify it into something completely devastating. Oh, and bassist Brandon Michael even gets a solo on this one, which frankly, I wish he’d get more of. Dude’s melodic vocabulary and tasteful playing is top tier.

“Dark Matter Dynamics” brings in fingerstyle guitarist Adrian Ballou for a flamenco-infused intro that never quite lets go of its roots, even as the song erupts into full-blown technical death metal. This track is totally insane. Flamenco flourishes, precise blasts, clean choruses, tremolo assaults, and even a fully instrumental acoustic bridge is all featured within this one song. It’s easily one of my favorites on the album, and proof that Allegaeon is operating at a level of songwriting most bands can only dream of. You also get another bass solo on this one, and it rules.

“Imperial” delivers a more straightforward assault. It’s all sharp edges and tight execution, but still finds room for some classical guitar flair woven right into the opening riffs. A quote-unquote relaxed chorus offers a brief contrast, but it’s quickly swallowed by some of the grooviest, most neck-snapping riffing on the entire record. “Imperial” is not a breather so much as it is a recalibration. It’s a necessary moment of cohesion before Allegaeon launches into the final true and arguably the strongest tracks on The Ossuary Lens.

And yeah, I realize that I’m saying that every song on this record is the strongest track or my favorite track, but… I can’t choose. They’re all really good.

“Wake Circling Above” is the album’s longest and most cinematic piece. There’s a slower tempo, huge atmosphere, arpeggiated strings, and eerie clean vocals that create a feeling of total isolation. The band introduces tension with purpose here. The song feels like drifting through a haunted void, especially when the crushed and distorted vocals are the focal point. It’s a beautiful kind of bleak and a brilliant shift in mood at the tail end of such an aggressive record. And much like many epics that have come before it, “Wake Circling Above” wraps up with two key changes that just feel… so good.

And then there’s the closer, “Scythe,” which brings it all to a crushing end. It opens with ethereal sung vocals over a desolate soundscape, but don’t expect a gentle send-off on this record. When the full band kicks in, it’s all jagged riffs, blast beats, and snarling vocals. It might be the darkest and heaviest track on The Ossuary Lens, and that Blake-driven breakdown in the middle is just totally devastating. There’s no fade-out or soft coda here. Allegaeon plays to the final second and then stops. Death has found you, and it’s all gone instantly black.

With The Ossuary Lens, Allegaeon delivers what might be their most focused and ferocious album to date. Reuniting with original vocalist Ezra Haynes has brought a renewed intensity to the band’s already formidable sound, while the stripped-down production sharpens their core strengths rather than dulling them. Every track, every moment feels vital and intentional, weaving technical death metal virtuosity with thematic consistency and emotional depth.

Whether through the grandiosity of “Dies Irae,” the cinematic weight of “Wake Circling Above,” or the flamenco flourishes in “Dark Matter Dynamics,” Allegaeon manages to push creative boundaries without ever losing sight of their identity. The Ossuary Lens, at the end of the day, is vital listening in 2025. This record is an easy 9 out of 10 for me, and it’s a high 9 out of 10 for me.